Post by swamprat on Nov 11, 2019 23:32:26 GMT
Scientists take risk sending secret message to aliens
Posted by SDD Contributor on November 10, 2019 at 8:56 am
If “the truth is out there,” scientists are determined to find it — so much so that they’ve sent a message into space trying to contact aliens.
But a response could take 25 years — if it comes at all.
Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI) International sent an encoded message into space using radio waves known as “Sonar Calling GJ273b,” which the organization’s president and founder Doug Vakoch believes could be received by intelligent life.
“[The message is] distinctive because it’s designed with extraterrestrial SETI scientists in mind. We sent the sort of signal we’d want to receive here on Earth,” he said in an .
METI’s purpose, along with the well-known Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), has a number of missions, including understanding and communicating “the societal implications and relevance of searching for life beyond Earth, even before detection of extraterrestrial life.”
It also conducts programs to “foster increased awareness of the challenges facing our civilization’s longevity,” among other directives.
The San Francisco-based METI sent its message toward the red dwarf star GJ 273 (also known as Luyten’s Star), 12 light-years away from Earth. The message was sent in October from the Eiscat transmitter in Tromsø, Norway, and included details such as basic math and science, as well as information on humankind’s understanding of time.
In a statement obtained by CNET, METI said it wanted to know if intelligent life understood the message and then go from there.
“In a reply message, I would first want to know that the extraterrestrials understood what we said in our first message,” METI said in the statement. “The easiest way to do this is to repeat our message, but in expanded form. We tell them that ‘1 + 1 = 2.’ They could let us know that they understand that ’10 + 10 = 20.‘”
Pressing ahead despite concerns
While some luminaries, such as Stephen Hawking, have warned against trying to extraterrestrials, Vakoch said is already being endorsed by many people.
“Everyone engaged in SETI is already endorsing transmissions to extraterrestrials through their actions,” Vakoch said in an . “If we detect a signal from aliens through a SETI program, there’s no way to prevent a cacophony of responses from Earth.”
Vakoch added that once news of the initial has appeared, it would become almost impossible to stop anyone from trying to them on their own. “Once the news gets out that we’ve detected extraterrestrials, anyone with a transmitter can say whatever they want.”
When can we expect a possible response?
Any response probably would be forthcoming in at least 25 years due to the distance the message has to travel between Earth and GJ273b.
The exoplanet was chosen because of its visibility from Earth’s northern hemisphere, even if it is not the closest potentially inhabited exoplanet to Earth. That distinction belongs to Proxima b, which is just 4 light-years away.
Earlier this week, scientists discovered a new exoplanet, Ross 128 b, that is 11 light-years away from Earth. It orbits a very quiet red dwarf star, meaning it does not have to deal with issues such as deadly ultraviolet or X-ray radiation and could also be home to life.
One light-year is approximately 5.88 trillion miles.
Sonar calling GJ273b is not the first message sent to space. The first was the Arecibo message, sent in 1974. The Arecibo message is expected to take 25,000 light-years to reach its target, the M13 star cluster.
While hopeful of receiving a response, Vakoch says we may never hear anything from another intelligent civilization.
“Practically speaking, if we get a signal from Luyten’s Star, it will mean the Milky Way is teeming with life. It’s certainly possible,” Vakoch said. “It seems more likely that we’ll need to target not just one star, but hundreds, thousands, or even millions before we get a reply back.”
stockdailydish.com/scientists-take-risk-sending-secret-message-to-aliens/
Reaching out to Alien life will not cause a dangerous INVASION, paranormal expert claims
Posted by SDD Contributor on November 10, 2019 at 4:21 pm
Dr Douglas Vakoch, president of the Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI) organisation, announced his research group had overseen a series of transmissions being sent to outer space from a 32-metre radio dish north of the Arctic Circle in Norway.
The astronomers sent a mathematical and scientific tutorial created by METI, as well as samples of music from Spain’s Sonar festival.
But the move sparked fears from some scientists who believed the signals could trigger an invasion from outer space after aliens learn about our existence.
The transmissions were sent towards the planet GJ 237b, which is believed be one of the closest potentially habitable celestial bodies to Earth.
The GJ 273b planet orbits Luyten’s star, a red dwarf around 12.4 light years from Earth.
Dr Vakoch told the New Scientist: “GJ 273b is one of dozens of planets that could host life found in the past two decades, thanks to advances in astronomy.”
Dan Werthimer, a SETI researcher at the University of California at Berkeley said: “98 per cent of astronomers and SETI researchers, including myself, think that METI is potentially dangerous, and not a good idea.
“It’s like shouting in a forest before you know if there are tigers, lions, and bears or other dangerous animals there.”
But Dr Vakoch, who founded the organisation METI, insists this is “no treat”.
"Sending intentional signals does not increase the chances of being detected by any civilisation advanced enough to threaten us."
He said: “They overlook one critical point. Any extraterrestrials on GJ 273b capable of interstellar travel would also be advanced enough to know of our existence already.
“For nearly a century, we have been transmitting evidence of our technology through radio and television signals leaking into space, which a civilisation only slightly more advanced than ours could readily detect.
“Sending intentional signals does not increase the chances of being detected by any civilisation advanced enough to threaten us.
“Even if there is a chance ET already knows we are here, there are still good reasons for transmitting.”
Addressing sceptics of alien life being found, Dr Vakoch admitted that more work need be done to reach other galaxies.
He added: “It lets us test one explanation for why we haven’t yet discovered aliens, even though more than a half-century has passed since SETI began the first modern-day search for extraterrestrial intelligence by listening for their signals.”
“Are we likely to get a reply? Only if the galaxy is chock-full of intelligent life. Perhaps more likely, we will need to repeat this process with 100 stars, or 1000, or a million, before we detect a reply – if one ever comes.
“Past messages have been one-off affairs that would fail this follow-up check. By repeating our message, any recipients could also correct errors that will inevitably occur as the signal passes through the interstellar medium.
“METI’s message included several novel features. It was sent three times each day, over three successive days, giving astronomers on GJ 273b a chance to confirm our signal, assuming they follow protocols like those used by SETI scientists on Earth.”
Dr Vakoch and his MET International team will return to the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association’s radio dish in Norway next year to retransmit signals to GJ 237b.
“The final time we will encode in our message, at the end of the third and final day’s transmission next year, is the date 25 years into the future – June 21, 2043 – when we will be listening for a response.”
stockdailydish.com/reaching-out-to-alien-life-will-not-cause-a-dangerous-invasion-paranormal-expert-claims/
Posted by SDD Contributor on November 10, 2019 at 8:56 am
If “the truth is out there,” scientists are determined to find it — so much so that they’ve sent a message into space trying to contact aliens.
But a response could take 25 years — if it comes at all.
Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI) International sent an encoded message into space using radio waves known as “Sonar Calling GJ273b,” which the organization’s president and founder Doug Vakoch believes could be received by intelligent life.
“[The message is] distinctive because it’s designed with extraterrestrial SETI scientists in mind. We sent the sort of signal we’d want to receive here on Earth,” he said in an .
METI’s purpose, along with the well-known Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), has a number of missions, including understanding and communicating “the societal implications and relevance of searching for life beyond Earth, even before detection of extraterrestrial life.”
It also conducts programs to “foster increased awareness of the challenges facing our civilization’s longevity,” among other directives.
The San Francisco-based METI sent its message toward the red dwarf star GJ 273 (also known as Luyten’s Star), 12 light-years away from Earth. The message was sent in October from the Eiscat transmitter in Tromsø, Norway, and included details such as basic math and science, as well as information on humankind’s understanding of time.
In a statement obtained by CNET, METI said it wanted to know if intelligent life understood the message and then go from there.
“In a reply message, I would first want to know that the extraterrestrials understood what we said in our first message,” METI said in the statement. “The easiest way to do this is to repeat our message, but in expanded form. We tell them that ‘1 + 1 = 2.’ They could let us know that they understand that ’10 + 10 = 20.‘”
Pressing ahead despite concerns
While some luminaries, such as Stephen Hawking, have warned against trying to extraterrestrials, Vakoch said is already being endorsed by many people.
“Everyone engaged in SETI is already endorsing transmissions to extraterrestrials through their actions,” Vakoch said in an . “If we detect a signal from aliens through a SETI program, there’s no way to prevent a cacophony of responses from Earth.”
Vakoch added that once news of the initial has appeared, it would become almost impossible to stop anyone from trying to them on their own. “Once the news gets out that we’ve detected extraterrestrials, anyone with a transmitter can say whatever they want.”
When can we expect a possible response?
Any response probably would be forthcoming in at least 25 years due to the distance the message has to travel between Earth and GJ273b.
The exoplanet was chosen because of its visibility from Earth’s northern hemisphere, even if it is not the closest potentially inhabited exoplanet to Earth. That distinction belongs to Proxima b, which is just 4 light-years away.
Earlier this week, scientists discovered a new exoplanet, Ross 128 b, that is 11 light-years away from Earth. It orbits a very quiet red dwarf star, meaning it does not have to deal with issues such as deadly ultraviolet or X-ray radiation and could also be home to life.
One light-year is approximately 5.88 trillion miles.
Sonar calling GJ273b is not the first message sent to space. The first was the Arecibo message, sent in 1974. The Arecibo message is expected to take 25,000 light-years to reach its target, the M13 star cluster.
While hopeful of receiving a response, Vakoch says we may never hear anything from another intelligent civilization.
“Practically speaking, if we get a signal from Luyten’s Star, it will mean the Milky Way is teeming with life. It’s certainly possible,” Vakoch said. “It seems more likely that we’ll need to target not just one star, but hundreds, thousands, or even millions before we get a reply back.”
stockdailydish.com/scientists-take-risk-sending-secret-message-to-aliens/
Reaching out to Alien life will not cause a dangerous INVASION, paranormal expert claims
Posted by SDD Contributor on November 10, 2019 at 4:21 pm
Dr Douglas Vakoch, president of the Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI) organisation, announced his research group had overseen a series of transmissions being sent to outer space from a 32-metre radio dish north of the Arctic Circle in Norway.
The astronomers sent a mathematical and scientific tutorial created by METI, as well as samples of music from Spain’s Sonar festival.
But the move sparked fears from some scientists who believed the signals could trigger an invasion from outer space after aliens learn about our existence.
The transmissions were sent towards the planet GJ 237b, which is believed be one of the closest potentially habitable celestial bodies to Earth.
The GJ 273b planet orbits Luyten’s star, a red dwarf around 12.4 light years from Earth.
Dr Vakoch told the New Scientist: “GJ 273b is one of dozens of planets that could host life found in the past two decades, thanks to advances in astronomy.”
Dan Werthimer, a SETI researcher at the University of California at Berkeley said: “98 per cent of astronomers and SETI researchers, including myself, think that METI is potentially dangerous, and not a good idea.
“It’s like shouting in a forest before you know if there are tigers, lions, and bears or other dangerous animals there.”
But Dr Vakoch, who founded the organisation METI, insists this is “no treat”.
"Sending intentional signals does not increase the chances of being detected by any civilisation advanced enough to threaten us."
He said: “They overlook one critical point. Any extraterrestrials on GJ 273b capable of interstellar travel would also be advanced enough to know of our existence already.
“For nearly a century, we have been transmitting evidence of our technology through radio and television signals leaking into space, which a civilisation only slightly more advanced than ours could readily detect.
“Sending intentional signals does not increase the chances of being detected by any civilisation advanced enough to threaten us.
“Even if there is a chance ET already knows we are here, there are still good reasons for transmitting.”
Addressing sceptics of alien life being found, Dr Vakoch admitted that more work need be done to reach other galaxies.
He added: “It lets us test one explanation for why we haven’t yet discovered aliens, even though more than a half-century has passed since SETI began the first modern-day search for extraterrestrial intelligence by listening for their signals.”
“Are we likely to get a reply? Only if the galaxy is chock-full of intelligent life. Perhaps more likely, we will need to repeat this process with 100 stars, or 1000, or a million, before we detect a reply – if one ever comes.
“Past messages have been one-off affairs that would fail this follow-up check. By repeating our message, any recipients could also correct errors that will inevitably occur as the signal passes through the interstellar medium.
“METI’s message included several novel features. It was sent three times each day, over three successive days, giving astronomers on GJ 273b a chance to confirm our signal, assuming they follow protocols like those used by SETI scientists on Earth.”
Dr Vakoch and his MET International team will return to the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association’s radio dish in Norway next year to retransmit signals to GJ 237b.
“The final time we will encode in our message, at the end of the third and final day’s transmission next year, is the date 25 years into the future – June 21, 2043 – when we will be listening for a response.”
stockdailydish.com/reaching-out-to-alien-life-will-not-cause-a-dangerous-invasion-paranormal-expert-claims/
